A New RV Adventure

It has been a great summer in our new Rochester, NY digs. I (Hal) have certainly enjoyed being away from the Florida heat and humidity. While it does get warm here it is not as humid as Florida and the nights are much cooler. Kathy has been busy with the grand-kids and has appreciated being near her family.

In July I made a trip to Alton Bay, NH as my dad was visiting the family cottage on Lake Winnipesaukee. Our dear friend Larry Sanborn met me there and we enjoyed an all boys getaway. Golf figured greatly in our agenda and, as we were batching it, going out to eat was a common occurrence. Larry then rode back with me to Rochester where he visited with Kathy and I for a week. We all visited friends in Canada together using our Winnebago as a base by camping on Grand Island, NY near Niagara Falls.

This side trip in the RV served as a shakedown cruise to check out all our systems. It was fortunate we did this as we discovered several issues (as usual) the most serious being a major leak from the slide when we had a rain storm. Yesterday I retrieved our rig from Camping World in Churchville, NY where they addressed everything they could without ordering parts which would take too long and delay our trip.

Yes, I said trip. We have decided to leave NY early and travel out West. Neither of us have ever visited the Grand Canyon so our plan is to explore Arizona and the Southwest. If possible I would also like to do Death Valley, Yosemite, and Sequoia. We have friends to visit along the way in Chicago, Mesa, Phoenix, Tuscon, Reno and we might try, if the timing works out, to do the hot air balloon festival in Albuquerque. 

We are going now because school will be in session, which will lessen the crowds at the National Parks, and hopefully, the weather will be cooler. This promises to be quite an adventure and will be the longest trip we have made as yet in our coach. This trip will also be interesting in that it is unscripted. The only certainty is the Grand Canyon. Other than that we will free-form this excursion as we go. No schedule equals no stress and pressure to stay on track. Where we find ourselves is where we are meant to be, and wherever we we decide to divert to will not serve to disturb any preconceived timetable or destination. It sounds like fun. We hope you'll come along with us.